All it Takes is Some Creativity

So perhaps I should start this entry with a confession...

Mom, you know all those clothes you left behind for me when you returned home? It waslike two shirts and a skirt? Well, I know you'd think I'd be capable of doing laundry by now, but I mixed my whites and darks and... well... oops.

But, you know, all it takes is a little creativity to make things look intentional... SO what if I have giant blue streaks down my clothes? I'll bleach what's bleachable and tie dye the rest I figure...

And did I ever.

Amy, I have to give you credit for this idea. Mom left me these solid colored shirts- bright green and pink. SInce they now had blue streaks on them, I decided to add some new streaks- with bleach. And since they were professionally dyed to begin with, the new colors that whos up with bleach are really cool.

And when bleach just wouldn't cut it, I added dye. The dye here is serious business- like professional quality. None of the Rit crap we use in the U.S. I got two colors of dye for 10 cents.

And I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe. I like the clothes even better now than before, and I was able to salvage all 6 pieces.

But that's what it's all about here. I mean, take Thanksgiving, for example. There's no such thing here. And I'm currently living with two boys- one of whom is a fantastic cook (and also the one I'm dating... do I know how to pick them or what?) and the other who doesn't care how food tastes he just wants a full belly. Not a good cook.

So I decided we would have a Mafia Thanksgiving. No American football on TV? Well, we got DVDs of the Sopranos and all three Godfathers. No turkey? How about spaghetti and meatballs!

And I was in charge of cooking, which was wonderful. I've only cooked for Mus once before and that was the last time I was here. I made vegetable soup, accidentally doubled the salt, and poor Mus tried to choke the stuff down with a smile. So I had to prove to him that I really could cook.

Which was tricky, since any recipe I could find had lots of ingredients not available here- such as ground beef, basil, olive oil, oregano, bread crumbs...

So I said to hell with recipes and made my own. That's right, I've never cooked spaghetti sauce or meatballs from scratch, but I winged it.

It wasn't gourmet, but the boys told me it was great. Best I could conjure up with Corned beef from a can, anyhow. Besides, we all know Italian food is all about the garlic and onions anyway, right?

And they're now addicted to my popcorn. I feel pretty good about that.

Speaking of causes to celebrate... A funeral started up across the street yesterday. Meaning there was loud music thumping all night. The music is a cross between a city festival like Mardi Gras mixed with a college frat party.

Funerlas here are huge parties that last for 3 days. I'm serious. Weddings... not such a big deal. But funerals go all night long...

And finally, another thing to celebrate. For those of you who knew me when I was in Spain, you'll recall the trauma inflicted on me by the maid, of the fighting and screaming and cold shoulders...

But you can all heave a sigh of relief. No such stress here. There is a cook in the house, but all is peaceful. See, she loves Mus, like adores him. He helps her with heavy labor and cooking, and he's great to send to the market- he'll come back having spent less than you expected and have premium quality stuff. He helps her with little things and so she thinks he's great.

Therefore, she loves me by extension. She loves to fry me eggs (my favorite food) and talk. And at this house, there's none of the- I will serve you a huge helping of food. No, I get to pick my own food, and decide how much I want to eat. And no one makes me feel bad about it.